Chris Wesseling

The Morning After

Dealing in Dallas

It’s no coincidence that Tony Romo has gone consecutive games without an interception for the first time since 2009. Last week was his first game without a painkilling injection since mid-September, allowing him to stand in the pocket and take chances downfield rather than chucking the ball to protect his ribs at the first sign of pressure in the pocket.

Finally back to full health, Romo shredded the Bills secondary for an NFL season-high 99.3 Total QBR while setting a franchise record by completing 88.5 percent of his passes. Michael Vick, in a memorable Monday night thrashing of the Redskins, is the only other quarterback over the past four seasons to throw three touchdown passes before his first incompletion. In the first half with the game still in question, Romo was 18-of-19 and a perfect 7-of-7 on third downs. Coming off his best game of the season, Romo’s prospects are on the rise with DeMarco Murray gashing defenses on the ground and Laurent Robinson book-ending playmaker Dez Bryant as a legitimate second fiddle.

Breaking tackles, making defenders miss, and showing excellent vision, Murray has cleared 130 rushing yards in three of four starts. Dallas has won three of those games in dominant fashion, outscoring opponents by a combined 101-27. Murray has averaged 170.5 scrimmage yards with Felix Jones on the shelf. While the Cowboys refuse to anoint Murray the starter, this decision falls into the category of “don’t over-think it.” Suddenly just a game back of the Giants, Dallas must realize its best chance to win is with Murray in the lineup. The 5-4 Cowboys are at Washington, versus Miami, and at Arizona while the 6-3 Giants host the Eagles and Packers and travel to New Orleans before a Week 14 showdown. The NFC East will likely be won over the next month.

Game Balls

Arian Foster - Thanks to a lingering hamstring injury, Foster totaled just 40 scrimmage yards through the end of September. In seven games since, he’s piled up 1,145 yards (164 per game) at just over a touchdown per week. Foster is the first running back to score on two pass plays of 75 yards or longer in the same season since Hall of Famer Gale Sayers' magical 1965 rookie campaign. Behind 186 yards and two touchdowns against an indifferent Bucs defense, Foster leap-frogged LeSean McCoy to take the No. 1 spot in fantasy points per week. One could hardly blame a Texans fan for believing his team boasts the league’s best running back in Foster as well as the league’s top backup in Ben Tate, on pace for nearly 1,100 rushing yards. A legitimate Super Bowl contender with Andre Johnson returning after the bye week, Houston leads the NFL in defense as well as defensive passer rating (63.1) after bringing up the rear in the latter last season.

Larry Fitzgerald - The Eagles have now blown five fourth-quarter leads while being outscored 74-27 in the final frame. A normally scattershot John Skelton channeled Johnny Unitas, going 9-of-16 for 166 yards with two touchdowns and a 105.7 rating in the Cardinals’ fourth-quarter comeback bid. The primary difference between Skelton and Kevin Kolb is the realization that the ball most go to Larry Fitzgerald regardless of coverage. Fitz has seen 12.5 targets per game with Skelton compared to just 6.28 with Kolb. Abusing the Eagles’ dream-team secondary, Fitzgerald hauled in two tipped passes, including one for a touchdown while also setting up the game-winning score with a beautiful over-the-shoulder diving grab described by an excitable color commentor as “single coverage against the Japanese fighting fish.” He may have ended the day with three scores if coach Ken Whisenhunt had opted to challenge the spot on that play. At 28 years and 74 days old, Fitzgerald is the third-youngest receiver in NFL history with 70 touchdown catches, behind only Randy Moss and Jerry Rice. As an aside, the box score may not show it, but Beanie Wells’ knee looked substantially better this week. Big trouble soon come, though. Wells gets the 49ers’ shut-down defense in two of the next four games, starting with Week 11.

Tom Brady / Rob Gronkowski - Behind a nearly flawless second-half performance against the league’s top secondary, Brady and Bill Belichick passed Dan Marino and Don Shula for the most wins (117) by a QB-coach duo since the 1970 merger. Accomplishing the feat in 35 fewer games, Brady is well on his way to a ninth AFC East title in 10 years (discounting Brady’s missed 2008 season). With a dream schedule against the Chiefs, Eagles, Colts, Redskins, Broncos, Dolphins and Bills, Brady is locked in as a top-five fantasy QB the rest of the way.

Gronk not only burned the Jets for his fifth two-touchdown performance in 25 games, but also notched a career-high 113 yards. He now has at least seven receptions in four consecutive games while holding the touchdown lead among tight ends (18) since he entered the league. "He was outstanding,'' shutdown corner Revis said. "Him and Tom [Brady], they were connecting every chance they got.'' After nine games, Gronk is on pace for 92 catches and 1,260 yards, which would break Ben Coats’ 1994 franchise record of 1,174 for a tight end. "The kid makes a lot of plays,'' coach Rex Ryan said after the game. "He's a factor in the red zone. The young man did a nice job of catching the football.'' Gronkowski is now averaging more fantasy points per game than Jimmy Graham, who is entering his bye week.

A Word on Tebow

Over final two quarters of Week 9 and the first two quarters of Week 10, the Broncos went an unbelievable 35 consecutive offensive plays without a pass, harkening back to the days of the single wing. The Broncos became the first team to lead at halftime without a completion since 1994. In the past 25 years, the 2009 Browns were the only other team to win with one quarterback completing two or fewer completions (6-3 win over the Bills in the most unwatchable football game I’ve ever sat through). John Elway, who went 1-of-8 for 14 yards in a 1983 victory over the Steelers, should appreciate Tim Tebow’s Bobby Douglass impression while improving to 3-1 as a starter with 320 rushing yards and nine total touchdowns.

It’s no coincidence that Tony Romo has gone consecutive games without an interception for the first time since 2009. Last week was his first game without a painkilling injection since mid-September, allowing him to stand in the pocket and take chances downfield rather than chucking the ball to protect his ribs at the first sign of pressure in the pocket.

Finally back to full health, Romo shredded the Bills secondary for an NFL season-high 99.3 Total QBR while setting a franchise record by completing 88.5 percent of his passes. Michael Vick, in a memorable Monday night thrashing of the Redskins, is the only other quarterback over the past four seasons to throw three touchdown passes before his first incompletion. In the first half with the game still in question, Romo was 18-of-19 and a perfect 7-of-7 on third downs. Coming off his best game of the season, Romo’s prospects are on the rise with DeMarco Murray gashing defenses on the ground and Laurent Robinson book-ending playmaker Dez Bryant as a legitimate second fiddle.

Breaking tackles, making defenders miss, and showing excellent vision, Murray has cleared 130 rushing yards in three of four starts. Dallas has won three of those games in dominant fashion, outscoring opponents by a combined 101-27. Murray has averaged 170.5 scrimmage yards with Felix Jones on the shelf. While the Cowboys refuse to anoint Murray the starter, this decision falls into the category of “don’t over-think it.” Suddenly just a game back of the Giants, Dallas must realize its best chance to win is with Murray in the lineup. The 5-4 Cowboys are at Washington, versus Miami, and at Arizona while the 6-3 Giants host the Eagles and Packers and travel to New Orleans before a Week 14 showdown. The NFC East will likely be won over the next month.

Game Balls

Arian Foster - Thanks to a lingering hamstring injury, Foster totaled just 40 scrimmage yards through the end of September. In seven games since, he’s piled up 1,145 yards (164 per game) at just over a touchdown per week. Foster is the first running back to score on two pass plays of 75 yards or longer in the same season since Hall of Famer Gale Sayers' magical 1965 rookie campaign. Behind 186 yards and two touchdowns against an indifferent Bucs defense, Foster leap-frogged LeSean McCoy to take the No. 1 spot in fantasy points per week. One could hardly blame a Texans fan for believing his team boasts the league’s best running back in Foster as well as the league’s top backup in Ben Tate, on pace for nearly 1,100 rushing yards. A legitimate Super Bowl contender with Andre Johnson returning after the bye week, Houston leads the NFL in defense as well as defensive passer rating (63.1) after bringing up the rear in the latter last season.

Larry Fitzgerald - The Eagles have now blown five fourth-quarter leads while being outscored 74-27 in the final frame. A normally scattershot John Skelton channeled Johnny Unitas, going 9-of-16 for 166 yards with two touchdowns and a 105.7 rating in the Cardinals’ fourth-quarter comeback bid. The primary difference between Skelton and Kevin Kolb is the realization that the ball most go to Larry Fitzgerald regardless of coverage. Fitz has seen 12.5 targets per game with Skelton compared to just 6.28 with Kolb. Abusing the Eagles’ dream-team secondary, Fitzgerald hauled in two tipped passes, including one for a touchdown while also setting up the game-winning score with a beautiful over-the-shoulder diving grab described by an excitable color commentor as “single coverage against the Japanese fighting fish.” He may have ended the day with three scores if coach Ken Whisenhunt had opted to challenge the spot on that play. At 28 years and 74 days old, Fitzgerald is the third-youngest receiver in NFL history with 70 touchdown catches, behind only Randy Moss and Jerry Rice. As an aside, the box score may not show it, but Beanie Wells’ knee looked substantially better this week. Big trouble soon come, though. Wells gets the 49ers’ shut-down defense in two of the next four games, starting with Week 11.

Tom Brady / Rob Gronkowski - Behind a nearly flawless second-half performance against the league’s top secondary, Brady and Bill Belichick passed Dan Marino and Don Shula for the most wins (117) by a QB-coach duo since the 1970 merger. Accomplishing the feat in 35 fewer games, Brady is well on his way to a ninth AFC East title in 10 years (discounting Brady’s missed 2008 season). With a dream schedule against the Chiefs, Eagles, Colts, Redskins, Broncos, Dolphins and Bills, Brady is locked in as a top-five fantasy QB the rest of the way.

Gronk not only burned the Jets for his fifth two-touchdown performance in 25 games, but also notched a career-high 113 yards. He now has at least seven receptions in four consecutive games while holding the touchdown lead among tight ends (18) since he entered the league. "He was outstanding,'' shutdown corner Revis said. "Him and Tom [Brady], they were connecting every chance they got.'' After nine games, Gronk is on pace for 92 catches and 1,260 yards, which would break Ben Coats’ 1994 franchise record of 1,174 for a tight end. "The kid makes a lot of plays,'' coach Rex Ryan said after the game. "He's a factor in the red zone. The young man did a nice job of catching the football.'' Gronkowski is now averaging more fantasy points per game than Jimmy Graham, who is entering his bye week.

A Word on Tebow

Over final two quarters of Week 9 and the first two quarters of Week 10, the Broncos went an unbelievable 35 consecutive offensive plays without a pass, harkening back to the days of the single wing. The Broncos became the first team to lead at halftime without a completion since 1994. In the past 25 years, the 2009 Browns were the only other team to win with one quarterback completing two or fewer completions (6-3 win over the Bills in the most unwatchable football game I’ve ever sat through). John Elway, who went 1-of-8 for 14 yards in a 1983 victory over the Steelers, should appreciate Tim Tebow’s Bobby Douglass impression while improving to 3-1 as a starter with 320 rushing yards and nine total touchdowns.

Feeling Luck-y?

The Colts have the No. 1 draft pick all but locked up with a two-game cushion and a shot at matching the 2008 Lions as the only 0-16 teams in history. Following the Week 11 bye, the Colts’ final six games are versus Carolina, at New England, at Baltimore, versus Tennessee, versus Houston, and at Jacksonville. Although team president Bill Polian assured fans after Sunday’s game that Peyton Manning will “be back with us next year, healthy,” ESPN’s NFL Sunday Countdown crew suggested that No. 18 would “leave peacefully” if the Colts end up drafting Andrew Luck.

Sitting Starters?

In my weekly Tuesday night radio spot with @SiriusXMFantasy, I was asked about the possibility of the undefeated Packers sitting their starters during the fantasy playoffs. Leery of being an alarmist for alarmist’s sake, I suggested that it’s way too early to entertain that anxiety. The 49ers are 8-1 and have only two opponents left with winning records. If the Packers want the playoff advantage of Lambeau Field, they can’t afford to take their foot off the gas pedal.

Mike Shanahan’s trademark flakiness has gone from annoying to pitiful. His only explanation for starting Torain over Helu one week after the rookie was the team’s only effective offensive player? "I wanted to give Ryan a chance to see what he could do against a very good defensive team.” The result was 2.0 yards per touch, a personal record five consecutive losses for Shanahan, and a total of 20 points and only one garbage-time touchdown over the past three games. “The Mastermind’s” offense is pathetic.

The distribution of touches is misleading. Bush functioned as the feature back and even the goal-line option of choice when the game was close. Although Thomas’ hamstring finally looks healthy, the majority of his carries came in the second half with the Dolphins salting away a comfortable lead. Until he gets injured, Bush is the lead back in Miami.

Ingram led the backfield in carries upon his return, but the Falcons underrated run defense shut down the Saints' ground attack. Ingram will likely continue to get the call overChris Ivory as the early-down and short-yardage back going forward, though Darren Sproles remains the back to own in NOLA. Write off his disappointing Week 10 production as an aberration.

Carolina’s offense went three-and-out on five of its first six possessions, keeping the ground game from getting into a groove. Stewart remains the preferred option as the superior talent functioning as the clear passing-down back. I’m still buying Stewart for the second based on his upside if the workload increases.

Brown drew his first start of the year and functioned as the feature back against a top-five defense. With two weeks for Joseph Addai to rest his knee and hamstring, it’s anybody’s guess who will start coming out of the bye in Week 12 against the Panthers.

Good luck figuring out this mess. Green-Ellis was unable to repeat his success against the Jets from earlier this season. There’s not a single New England back worth starting against the Chiefs in Week 11.

Signed off the street, Smith passed Williams as the No. 2 back in less than a week. He could begin pushing Morris for the lead-back job if Jahvid Best doesn’t return against the Panthers or Packers the next two weeks. As it is now, there’s very little clarity in the Detroit backfield.

Battle reversed his trend of dwindling yards-per-carry numbers, but was pulled for passing-down back McCluster once the Chiefs fell behind. Battle is a destitute man’s LeGarrette Blount, in both playing style and offensive role.

Coach Norv Turner revealed that Mathews’ role was limited against the Raiders because he was dealing with "some lingering pains" in his strained groin. He also lost snaps due to game momentum as the Chargers went pass-heavy in the second half. With a week and a half of rest, Mathews' workload should increase against the Vikings in Week 11. Until we see reason to believe otherwise, though, Tobert remains the goal-line and third-down back.

Stat of the Week:LeSean McCoy extended his touchdown streak to nine games, breaking Hall of Famer Steve Van Buren’s 1947 franchise record. Shady is just the fourth player since 1960 to score in each of his team’s first nine games. The others were Lenny Moore (1964), O.J. Simpson (1975), and George Rogers (1986).

Runner-Up:Andy Dalton passed Dan Marino and Jim Plunkett for most touchdowns (14) by a rookie quarterback through nine games since the 1970 merger.

Quote of the Week: Ravens’ play-by-play man Gerry Sandusky, after thanking his mom for choosing to spell his name with a “G”: "I feel like I've stumbled across this parallel universe of people who have the same name as somebody's who's been accused of a heinous crime. Somewhere out there, I'm sure there's a Bernie Madoff who's a baker and who happens to be a great guy."

Runner-Up: Former Baltimore linebacker Bart Scotton the Ravens-Redskins local rivalry: “When you are in a small place like Baltimore and the temperature is relatively cold — hey, you compete over the same chicks. That’s a football player’s favorite spot. Especially young football players. It was always a rivalry. Guys fight about ‘Hey that is my girlfriend and that’s my girlfriend’, but [in New York]? Five million people, maybe more. There is plenty for everybody.

Tweet of the Week: In the wake of the Penn State scandal, Yahoo’s Doug Farrar bottom-lined the chasm of appeal between the NFL and college football: “Days like this, I'm very thankful that I cover the NFL. Issues abound there, but NCAAFB has become an ethical and moral abyss.”

Chris Wesseling is a senior football editor and Dynasty league analyst for Rotoworld.com. The 2011 NFL season marks his fifth year with Rotoworld and his third year contributing to NBCSports.com. He can be found on Twitter @ChrisWesseling.Email :Chris Wesseling